Hello, it's Jim from Four Player Co-Op back again to fill you in on what's been going on in the video game industry.

News:

First the Internet asploded on Tuesday when THQ Creative Director Cory Ledesma told CVG that fans who buy used video games are cheaters. Many publishers have begun to pack in extras with new copies of games, including access to online multiplayer leaving used games buyers with an incomplete feature set.

"I don't think we really care whether used game buyers are upset because new game buyers get everything. So if used game buyers are upset they don't get the online feature set I don't really have much sympathy for them."

"That's a little blunt but we hope it doesn't disappoint people. We hope people understand that when the game's bought used we get cheated," - Corey Ledesma

Whatever side of this debate you fall on, I guarantee you there is a place on the Internet for you to argue your point.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow will feature an interesting alternative to disc swapping on the Xbox 360. Players will be able to install disc 1 to their Hard Drive, then insert disc 2 and play seamlessly. This solution isn't perfect though, what about Xbox 360 owners who don't have enough disc space, or old Xbox 360 Arcade owners who don't have a HDD at all? We'll find out how many upset Castlevania fans there are when the game releases in North America on October 5th.

Left 4 Dead 1 & 2 are getting more DLC, this time in the form of The Sacrifice, which is a prequel to Left 4 Dead 2's The Passing DLC. For those unaware a member of the Left 4 Dead 1 cast is killed in The Passing DLC, but in The Sacrifice players will get to choose which of the foursome meet their gruesome end. For those who like their stories to remain canonical, comic book artist Michael Avon Oeming of Powers fame will draw a 150 page digital graphic novel that will tell the story of The Sacrifice and The Passing and set up future DLC for the series. The Sacrifice will release on October 5th the same day Left 4 Dead 1 & 2 make their way to the Mac, it will of course be included for free on Steam. Xbox 360 owners will have to pony up 560 Microsoft Points.

Uber-Popular tower defense game Plants Vs Zombies will shamble it's way onto the Nintendo DS this January. It will cost $19.99 and include some so far unannounced special features.

Crackdown 2 is getting it's first round of DLC one free and one premium. The free DLC is Keys to the City, which just like Crackdown 1's free Keys to the City update will allow you to toggle things on and off in Pacific City such as infinite ammo and turning on and off the day/night cycle. Those willing to shell out 560MS Points will get 2 new vehicles, 5 new weapons, 2 avatar rewards, 8 new suit colors, and 250 points worth of achievements to unlock. No release date has been announced yet.

Halo: Reach is getting campaign matchmaking. So while your friends are off doing less important things like working, dating, or eating you can find 3 people to go fight with. If that wasn't enough for you gamertag nameplates are getting an upgrade with the addition of symbols that go next to your gamertag. The symbols are awarded to players who have played Bungie's previous games or for earning specific achievements.

Rockstar Games laid out some details for the next three rounds of downloadable content for Red Dead Redemption. On September 21st the 10 dollar Liars and Cheats pack will add multiplayer to the game's table games like poker and liar's dice. The pack will also add 7 new gang hideouts, 4 new hunting grounds, and a new weapon. 15 new skins will be available in multiplayer and achievement/trophy hunters can find new ones to unlock. A free DLC pack entitled The Hunting and Trading Outfits pack will be available in the Fall and will add, get this, hunting and trading outfits. I know. Finally the one you've all be waiting for the Zombie pack will cost you 10 bucks as well and feature a "lengthy" single player campaign. I'm sure there will also be some multiplayer zombie hunting.

Finally, Capcom announced a High Stakes Edition for Dead Rising 2 which is available exclusively through their online store. It includes the game, a set of bloody poker chips and poker cards, 5 green dice, a map of Fortune City, as well as an in-game Psycho costume and skill pack. No, I don't know what those do either. One lucky winner will find a golden ticket of sorts in their High Stakes edition which will net them a 6ft tall statue of one of the zombies in the game. All of this will run you $90. If I were you I would order one now.

Mafia II is a boring, forgettable gangster romp through a beautifully designed city that you spend far too much time driving in. Cut scenes and driving sections are far too long and nothing terribly interesting happens. Combat portions of the game are never satisfying and at times infuriating. Mafia II forgoes a modern checkpoint system in favor of putting you back at the beginning of large chunks of the game should you die or fail an objective. The game tries to weave an intricate narrative full of plot twists and backstabs, but you never end up caring about any of it because you dread the gameplay that is to come. It's also about two hours too long. The city is a sight to behold, an interesting mash-up of NYC and LA, but since the game isn't technically a "sandbox" game you'll spend most of your time just driving past anything interesting on your way to the start or end of a mission. There are some clever uses of interactivity throughout the game, such as every fixture from light switches to toilets being usable, but in the end it's hard to forgive bad gameplay and a boring story.

RECOMMENDATION: Try it, before you buy it.

Alright, that's another roundup. Be sure to check out my podcast and website for all the latest video game news and rumors.

"I don't think we really care whether used game buyers are upset because new game buyers get everything. So if used game buyers are upset they don't get the online feature set I don't really have much sympathy for them."

"That's a little blunt but we hope it doesn't disappoint people. We hope people understand that when the game's bought used we get cheated," - Corey Ledesma

They get cheated when we buy used, but we get ripped off and cheated when they release a new game for 60 dollars, then expect us to pay 10 dollars for DLC that was originally designed to be in a game, then another 10 dollars for more DLC they decided to work on while working on the game. ETC. Games nowadays are ridiculous. DLC on a monthly basis, and most of it is over priced, and stuff that should have been included originally.

They get cheated when we buy used, but we get ripped off and cheated when they release a new game for 60 dollars, then expect us to pay 10 dollars for DLC that was originally designed to be in a game, then another 10 dollars for more DLC they decided to work on while working on the game. ETC. Games nowadays are ridiculous. DLC on a monthly basis, and most of it is over priced, and stuff that should have been included originally.

Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep will not be on PSN, which means no one with a PSPgo can play it.

hence why i havent bought a new game when first released since gears of war 2 came out. after that, i decided no game is worth 60 dollars, and now wait til the price drops to at least 40. i figure at that point, i dont mind paying for the DLC, and it all averages out in the end to around a fair 60 for a game

sure, i dont play games right when they come out, but since i'm back logged on games to play right now anyway, it hardly makes much difference.

They aren't getting cheated in any way. They made the game with the intent to sell it. Someone bought it. They met their goal. The companies aren't losing a bunch of money or working at a loss. The profit margins on the software is still high, and it's getting higher as the technology to make the games gets cheaper, same as all other tech.

All this does is alienate fan bases. I won't EVER purchase a new game from Sony if this becomes the case, so they are losing $50 from me. I don't own a PS3 at this time, but have considered purchasing one. These actions have seriously dented those chances.

This won't help them, it will just hurt used games sales. No one is going to go buy a $50 used copy of a $60 game knowing they then have to pay $10 to go online, meaning the used game is still $60. People aren't that stupid. They will either NOT buy the online or just not buy the game at all until there is another price drop.

They may gain more revenue in the long run, but they will most likely lose people to the Xbox in the process, which will hurt more than anything.

hence why i havent bought a new game when first released since gears of war 2 came out. after that, i decided no game is worth 60 dollars, and now wait til the price drops to at least 40. i figure at that point, i dont mind paying for the DLC, and it all averages out in the end to around a fair 60 for a game

sure, i dont play games right when they come out, but since i'm back logged on games to play right now anyway, it hardly makes much difference.

Agreed. The last 2 games I bought new were MLB 2K10 (because that's one game I HAVE to get because of my love for baseball) and Gears 2. I used to buy games almost monthly, mostly new, but now those two purchases were about 16 months apart, because the prices arr excessive.

If they add in those $10 online codes, I will never buy a Sony console, and probably not any Sony product, because I refuse to support such robbery.

If they really wanted a solution that didn't screw over the consumers, they would demand royalties from used games sales, where the profit margins are much higher than the new ones (no need to pay devs, shipping costs, packaging, manufacturing). But, no, they want to simply make the consumers pay more in a tough economy.

They could get their money without hurting consumers, but they'd rather do that than piss of a company and risk having their games pulled from shelves. But I won't support their actions with my money--I'll continue to buy MicroSoft products and have a merry old time on Xbox LIVE.